Folate as a secret weapon against compromised mood

29 March 2023

During the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of people have been severely impacted by anxiety, mood health disorders, sadness, and sleep problems, rising exponentially due to economic turndown and isolation. Folate supplementation can be suitable to counteract the compromised emotional status, representing a natural-oriented choice to improve mood.

Evidence suggests that low folate deficiency may be harmful to mood, since it is associated with the endogeneous production of neurotransmitters and their balance.
Supplementation with folate may help reduce unbalanced mood symptoms. In particular, the active form 5-MTHF is needed in the brain for the synthesis of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.

Folate, homocysteine and brain health

Folate is also involved in the breakdown of homocysteine.
Higher levels of homocysteine have been recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and are involved in poor cognitive functions and decline.

In a clinical trial carried out, 5-MTHF such as Quatrefolic® has demonstrated to reduce homocysteine more effectively than folic acid. Moreover, this biological form is able to cross the « Blood-Brain Barrier», entering the brain without folate metabolism, potentially impacted by MTHFR enzyme polymorphism.
This enzyme polymorphism is widely present in the world population.